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Update on December 15, 2025: Initially scheduled for early 2026, the launch of the TGV M is now set for July 1, 2026. On December 9, SNCF Voyageurs submitted its application for marketing authorization for the TGV M to the European Railways Agency (ERA). This step marks the start of a pre-operational testing phase and confirms a new schedule. Although they were expected to be ready for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the TGV M trains are now two years behind schedule, mainly due to production delays at Alstom and a longer than expected approval process. Of the 115 trains ordered by SNCF, four will enter service in the summer of 2026 on the Southeast line. Their number will increase to eight in September, before reaching 13 trains in operation by the end of 2026.
More spacious, more modern, more accessible, more economical and more ecological? That's the ambitious promise of the TGV M: the new generation of SNCF high-speed trains. This Tuesday, March 11, 2025, our reporters had the chance to take a look inside, before its official arrival on the rails by 2026 on the Paris-Lyon-Marseille line. So, in concrete terms, what can you expect? Immerse yourself in the “train of the future”.
This is it. After nearly ten years in development, the project is finally upon us. We've already seen the new blue-white-red colors of the inOui TGVs to illustrate French class. But this Tuesday, March 11, 2025, SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom unveiled the interior of the TGV M for the first time.
HOURRAIL! - The presentation ceremony at the Gare de Lyon in Paris was well attended!
With its “M” for “Modularity”, the TGV M has been designed to adapt to passengers' changing needs. More flexible and efficient, it is also more environmentally friendly, consuming 20% less energy than previous generations, while being 97% recyclable. As David Goeres, head of the TGV M project (who talked to us behind the scenes in our podcast Je t'offre un rail?) asserts: “The TGV M is designed to be evolutionary, adaptable, and to accompany the transformations in mobility for the next 30 years.” To find out more and discover the podcast episode, we detail everything in this article.
A real “little technological jewel”, according to the heads of SNCF and manufacturer Alstom. Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, spoke of a “fifth-generation TGV that will leave its mark and set the benchmark for high-speed rail travel in the coming decades”. Innovation was also hailed by the Minister of Transport, who underlined his pride in having a fine rail industry in France (and we can prove him right!).
A major advance: the TGV M will be the first train to be fully autonomously accessible to people with reduced mobility! This is excellent news when you consider how much of a headache trains can be for people with disabilities. Thanks to a small footbridge and elevator, up to 5 wheelchairs will be able to access the PRM car. Passengers will also be able to order food and drink from their seats, and make their own way to the PRM toilets.
© HOURRAIL ! - The PRM car
Romain, a.k.a. Roro le Costaud on the social networks, emphasizes: “You can see that this has been thought out by and for the people concerned. Nine associations were contacted to think about the project, and you can feel it! We can now be totally autonomous, and that's just a revolution for us.”
© HOURRAIL ! - At last a toilet at the end of the carriage
Bye-bye bar car, hello bistro! For this two-storey space, the designers put the accent on conviviality, and we can only applaud this choice. Imagined by the Arep agency (a subsidiary of SNCF Gares et Connexion) in collaboration with Nendo (a Japanese design company), the “bistrO TGV inOui” will be accessible on two levels:
© HOURRAIL !
© HOURRAIL !
For the more inveterate cyclist: 6 bicycles in second class and 2 bicycles in first class can also be taken on board.
No more excuses not to opt for a train + bike trip!
By the way, if you've never taken the plunge before, don't hesitate to check out Bertrand and Marion's tips for traveling by train and by bike, who told us about their trip from Paris to Tokyo without a plane!
Car capacity will also be increased, with 15-20% more seats than on current trains. Wonderful news when you consider that demand continues to grow!
As David Goeres explained to us, thanks to its modularity, the TGV M will be able to move quickly from a Ouigo configuration (740 seats) to a classic InOui configuration (600 seats, including first and second classes). “What used to take weeks of work on the old trains can now be done in a single day by two agents. This not only saves a huge amount of time, but also enables us to respond quickly to market needs."
But comfort won't be compromised: passengers will still have more legroom in second class, and seats will be wider in first class. With their “hammock effect”, the seats will be adapted to all morphologies. All the essentials will be provided: under-seat storage, headrests, a mini-tablet for a drink or smartphone, a 220 V socket and USB port, lighting...
© HOURRAIL ! - Comfort is definitely on the agenda
First announced for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, then for the summer of 2025, the train is scheduled to run in 2026. In short, as our founder Benjamin sums up, “An exciting first glimpse, which makes the wait - following the delays in putting it into circulation - even longer...”
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
